Agony and ecstasy of the UFC

Few things encapsulate the two emotions better than the opposing camps of a pair of rivals slugging it out in a title fight.

And so it was again when the undefeated and raging favourite Ronda Rousey put her bantamweight belt on the line against underdog Holly Holm at UFC 193 in Melbourne.

But in an upset that reverberated around the world, Holm tore up the script and became the new champion with a stunning knockout blow in the second round.

The nature of the fight swept across both sets of supporters – but in very different ways.

Rousey's family and friends tried to will their out-of-sorts champion to victory while Holm's smelled blood in the water and urged her onto a career defining victory.

And when Holm knocked Rousey to the canvas with a vicious kick to the neck, the jubilation from the new champion's corner perfectly framed the shock and despair of a Rousey camp tasting defeat for the first time.